Cable-grip



2 sheets -sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. J. GRAPE.

CABLE GRIP.

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2 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

J. J. GRAPE. CABLE GRIP.

No. 451,857. Patented May 5, 1891;.

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UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

CABLE-GRIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,857, dated May 5, 1891.

Application filed July 25, 1890. Serial No. 359,889. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JUSTIN JOSEPH GRAFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cable-Railway Grips and Crossing Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of said invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it most nearly appertains to make, use, and practice the same.

My present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in cable-railway grips; and it consists of the parts and details of description, as will be hereinafter more fully shown in the drawings, described in the specification, and claimed.

My invention consists, further, of an arrangement whereby the gripping device can be raised or lowered independent of the mechanism which operates the gripping-jaws, so as to admit of the gripper being lifted high enough to pass over a cross-cable when the cable has been dropped, and to be depressed low enough after passing over the cross-cable to again catch or pick up the cable.

My invention still further consists of the peculiar mechanism for operating the gripslid e,which opens and closes the gripping-jaws by means of the usual hand-lever, the particular arrangement being a double-leverage connection between the operating-lever and slide, by which a slow movement of thegripper-slide is obtained while the jaws are opening or closing and a fast movement after the jaws are opened and the cable released, thus securing a shorter stroke of the operatinglever and greater convenience in handling the same.

Referring to the drawings, forming a part of this application, in which similar letters of reference are used to denote corresponding parts throughout the entire specification and several views of the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the grip raised above the cable and closed; Fig. 2, a top plan I view of the movable frame, showing the gripframe and sliding wedge removed; Fig. 3, a detail view of the grip-frame, sliding wedge, and operating-lever removed from the movable frame; Fig. 4, an end View showing the grip raised above a crossing cable; Fig. 5, a top plan view in section through the gripholder; Fig. 6, a detail view of the movable grip-jaw; Fig. 7, a similar view of the sliding wedge; Fig. 8, a similar view. of the operating rack-bar; and Fig. 9 is a detail view of the three-cornered revolving rod, which rotates between the arms 7L2 of the pivotal frame H.

The letter A indicates the floor of an ordinary cable-car dummy, and A the wheels thereof. Below the frame or floor of said car is suitably secured the metallic frame B, to the end pieces of which I secure the metallic uprights B. The rod C is secured within bearings C, attached to the longitudinal beam A The metallic uprights B are surrounded by the spiral spring B metallic rod 0', at the end thereof, are the lateral projecting end blocks D, which are provided with recessed portion (Z. The outer projecting ends (1 of the end blocks D of the grip-frame rest within said recessed portion of the blocks D, and said frame is operated through the medium of the rod C and blocks D, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Secured upon the.

The movable grip-frame is indicated by the letter E, and said frame is provided with the downwardly-extending arms E, which connect with the grip-holder E within which, as hereinafter described, is secured the movable grip-jaw and sliding wedge.

The letter 6 is the grip-die secured within the cut-away portion of the grip-holder, and e the movable gripjaw pivotally secured to the opposite side or face of the grip-holder, as shown in the drawings, Fig. 4. If so desired, however, the grip-holding portion and movable grip-frame may be constructed of one piece; but by preference I prefer to make them separate, so that in case of breakage to either portion the same may be removed and others substituted therefor, thereby saving the entire loss. For a purpose hereinafter described the movable grip-jaw is provided with the curved lever f.

One face of the grip-holder, as shown in IOO inclined face of the shoulders f. The wedge F is provided with the elongated slot or opening h, within which the curved lever of the operating grip-jaw works. Working between the downwardly-extending arms of the gripholder frame and within the cut-away por tion f of the grip-holder is the wedge-slide F, the lower end of which rests in the seat formed by the cut-away portion f of the face of the grip-holder and is secured to the wedge F, and is adapted, through means of the hereinafter-described mechanism, to raise or lower the operating-wedge for the purpose of opening or closing the movable grip-jaw. If so desired, however, this slide and the operating-wedge may also be constructed from one piece.

Attached to and extending from the wedgeslide F are the rack-plates F which work within the guide F secured to the frame E. By preference I secure a rack-bar to each side of the frame. Said wedge-slide is operated through the medium of the cog-wheels f which engage with the teeth formed on the rack-bar. Said wheels are revolved through the medium of the hand-lever F which is fulcrumed by means of the bolt f, passing through the ends of the guides F F. The rack-bars are provided with the groove f within which work the lugs f, formed in or projecting inwardly from the curved ends of the lever F As the lever or handle is moved forward or back, the wheels f revolve, which causes the rack-bars to move up or down, carrying therewith the sliding wedge F, which opens or closes the grip-jaw. It will thus be observed that the lever F has two points of contact with the rack-plate viz., one through the cog-wheel f engaging the rack-plate, and the other through the lug J -and as said lever is moved backward (in order to release the cable) it acts upon the rack-bar or plate F through the medium of cog-wheel f and serves by the continued movement thereof to release the pressure on the cable in the first instance or upon the first stroke, after which the outer end of the lever, provided with the lugs f works within the groove f and serves to open the grip su fficiently to entirely release the cable. While the lever operates upon the rack-bar, a slow movement isimparted to the grip, allowing of a gradual releasing of the pressure upon the cable, while when working within the groove f a quick motion is imparted thereto. I am thus enabled to gain a double movement by one complete throw of the operating-lever, thereby releasing the pressure on the cable and opening the grip by a shorter stroke than can be accomplished by the use of the present operating-levers. Thus I allow for the stoppage of the car without lifting the grip. I secure to the end blocks D the curved strap F which has its under face provided with the rack-plate h. The teeth of said plate are engaged by the three-cornered revolving rod h, secured between the arms 72 of the pivotal frame H, which is secured to the operatinglever by means of the bolt 7L3. To the upper end of the lever I locate the hand-catch, (not shown,) which is connected to the pivoted frame by means of the rod H By pressing upon the hand-catch the connecting rod is moved upward, which carries therewith the outer end of the pivoted frame, thereby causing the lower end of the arms to move downward, so as to release the revolving rod h from engagement with the rack-teeth, thereby allowing for the throw of the lever.

The operation of my device is as follows: When an intersecting street is reached provided with a line of cables crossing abovethe level of the cable to which my device is applied, it becomes necessary, first, to release the cable, and then, secondly, to raise the grip frame and jaw clear of the crossing line. The first is accomplished by manipulating the operating-lever F which as it is moved forward forces the rack-bar upward, which latter carries therewith the wedge F, thus causing the pressure upon the movable jaw e to be relieved and allowing grip to be readily withdraw from engagement with the cable. After this of course it becomes necessary to raise the frame E above the crossing cable, which is accomplished in the following manner: The supplemental lever L is fulcrulned to the standard L, (shown clearlyin Figs. 1 and 2,) and one end is adapted to move between the arms of standards L and provided with a spring-actuated dog or catch L the projecting inner end of which is adapted'to engage notches formed in the standard L so that the same may be maintained in an adjusted position. Connection is attained between the inner end of the leverLand the rod Obymeans of a rod Z, the upper end of which pivotally engages the inner end of said lever, while its lower end is pivotally connected to a link Z, which in turn is connected to rod 0, as shown clearly in Fig. 4. WVhen it is desired to raise the frame E so that the grip frame and jaws may be raised above the level of the crossing-cable, lever L is first released from engagement with the notches of the standard L by pressing upon the spring-actuated dog. The lever is then free to be manipulated, and as the same is moved in the proper direction to press the outer end of thelink Z downward, the inner end of said link is necessarily moved to the right, which has the effect of turning rod 0 in a similar direction, and with this turning the upper ends of the end pieces D are moved 'upwardly, which, being connected to the end pieces D D of the frame, have the effect necessarily of forcing frame E upwardly, carrying therewith the grip frame and jaws clear of the crossing cables. After the crossing cable has been passed it of course becomes necessary to again engage the grip with the cable. This is done by giving a reverse movement to the supplemental lever L, which throws link Z, through the medium of arm Z, in an opposite direction to that previously described, which has the efiect of forcing frameE downward, the position of the several parts being clearly indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4. After the frame is lowered, the movable grip-jaw is made to engage the cable by means of the operating lever F which as the same is moved backward forces the rack-bar F downward, and at the same time the wedge-slide F is caused to act upon wedge F, which latter operates to close the movable jaw 6' upon the cable. The frame E is held normally in its raised position by means of the spiral springs B surrounding the uprights B, the upper ends of said springs bearing against the under sides of the end pieces D of frame E. lVhen the frame is lowered, as previously explained, so as to provide for the grip engaging the cable, the springs, of course, are contracted after such engagement is secured. The resiliency of the springs will force the frame upwardly, so as to take up any slack in the cable.

Instead of providing the operating grip-j aw with the curved lever which works in the elongated slot formed in the sliding wedge, the same may be formed with an enlarged longitudinal shoulder adapted to fall or move back into a chambercorresponding therewith in the face of the wedge, or any other suitable form of connecting the wedge and movable grip-jaw may be employed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure protection in by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. In a cable-railway grip, the combination, with the movable frame, of the grip-holder, grip-die secured within said holder, grip-jaw movably secured therein, curved lever attached to said jaw, operating-wedge adapted to slide between the shoulders of the gripholder, elongated opening formed within the wedge to receive the curved lever of the gripjaw, movable slide secured to the wedge, and the handle for operating the slide and wedge for opening and closing the grip-j aw, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the movable frame of a cable-railway grip, of the grip-holder secured thereto, grip-jaw working within the holder, curved lever attached to said grip jaw, grip-die, sliding or operating wedge for opening or closing the jaw or grip, provided with an elongated opening adapted to receive the curved lever of the movable grip, and the operating-slide for raising or lowering the wedge, substantially as set forth and described.

3.. In a cable-grip, the combination of a vertically-movable frame provided with end supplemental frames, standards projecting upward through said supplemental frames, and coiled springs encircling said standards and disposed between the under sides of the supplemental frames and the base-supports of the standards, as andfor thepurpose set forth.

4. In a cable-grip, the combination, with an operating-slide, of an operating-lever provided with means for raising said slide during the movement of the lever by engagement therewith at two different points, the initial engagement raising the rack-plate sufliciently to release the pressure on the cable and the other engagement raising the rack-plate so as to entirely release the cable, substantially as set forth.

5. In a cable-grip, the combination of a wedge-slide, rack-bars secured to said wedge slide, one of the rack-bars provided with a groove, and a fulcrumed operating-lever having its lower end provided with an inwardlyextending lug adapted to work in the groove of the rack-bar, substantially as set forth.

6. In a cable-grip, the combination of a wedge-slide, rack-bars attached to the upper end of said slide, guides through which said rack-bars work, and an operating-lever fulcrumed upon a bolt connecting the ends of the guides, substantially as set forth.

7. In a cable-grip, the combination of a grip -frame, a curved ratchet-bar secured thereto, an operating-lever, a frame pivotally secured to said operating-lever by means of a transverse bolt, and a three-cornered revolving rod connecting the inner ends of said pivoted frame and adapted to engage and disengage the curved ratchet-bar, so as to lock and unlock the same, substantially as set forth.

8. In a cable-grip, the combination of a grip-frame, a curved ratchet-bar secured thereto, an operating-lever, a frame pivotally secured to said operating-lever by means of a transverse bolt, a three-cornered revolving rod connecting the inner ends of said pivoted frame and adapted to engage and disengage the curved ratchet-bar, and a rod for connecting the pivoted frame with the operatinglever, whereby by pressure thereon the threecornered rod may be released from the ratchetbar, substantially as set forth.

9. In a cable-grip, the combination of a grip-frame, end pieces secured thereto and provided with laterally-extending arms, a longitudinal shaft or rod, end pieces projecting from said shaft and provided at their upper ends with recesses adapted to receive the lateral arms of'the end pieces of the frame, a fulcru med lever, arms extending downwardly from the free end of said fulcrumed lever, and a link pivotally connecting the lower end of said arm with the longitudinal shaft or rod, substantially as set forth.

10. In a cablegrip, the combination of standards projecting upwardly from the carframe, a vertically-movable grip-frame, and a lever for operating the grip-frame, the outer end of said lever passing between the standards and provided with a spring-actuated dog or catch adapted to engage notches in the standard and lock the lever, substantially as set forth.

11. In a cablegrip, the combination of a grip-frame provided with depending arms,

end frames secured thereto and provided with lateral arms, a longitudinal shaft or rod, end frames secured thereto and provided at their upper ends with recesses adapted to receive the lateral arms of the end frames, a fulcrumed supplemental lever, connections be-- tween the free end thereof and the longitudinal shaft or rod, whereby the grip-frame is 

